| When I first started socially drinking alcoholic | | | | complement your fish, chicken, beef, or pasta dish. |
| beverages, the "in" thing to drink was beer. Not | | | | The wine phenomenon is still happening now, except |
| designer stouts, mind you, but juts your regular, | | | | it is getting a bit of it's draw siphoned by a newer |
| average Joe beers in the light variety or in their full | | | | craze for designer adult beverages, the all American |
| calorie splendor. On a night out, if you wanted to get | | | | (ok, ok, it's truly derived in Ireland, but boy did |
| a little creative, you might order something a few | | | | America adopt it readily) BEER. I'm happy to admit |
| notches up on the scale, like a Honey Brown or a | | | | that I've fallen for this new phase in adult beverage |
| Guinness, but generally, these were reserved for | | | | enjoyment, having enjoyed the various microbrews |
| special occasions in my circles. | | | | and flavors that higher end stouts have to offer. |
| Back then, the full range of microbrewery beers that | | | | Whereas I used to view beer drinking as a necessity |
| you see now even on the grocery store shelves | | | | in college, it's now fallen more into the connoisseur |
| really didn't exist. You had a few kinds of regular | | | | category like wine has, but only if you have the |
| beer to choose from, and then maybe a few token | | | | adventurous spirit of a true beer fanatic. Sure, I still |
| microbrews. Then along came the whole wine craze. | | | | have Bud Light or Coors Light here and there, but |
| It suddenly was out to drink beer and "in" to drink | | | | once I tasted the glorious explosion of flavor from |
| wine. Wineries started popping up allover, and | | | | brewery beers like Christmas Ale, which his a local |
| suddenly taking a weekend trip to wine country was | | | | favorite here in Ohio where I live, and the varieties |
| all the rage. What better than to cozy up to a | | | | of the Leinenkugels brand, I was forever a changed |
| fireplace with a nice glass of Merlot and get that | | | | beer drinking woman. |
| warm feeling that wine tends to give when it slides | | | | I had transcended into the discerning beer drinkers |
| down your throat? | | | | corner from the casual crowd that only enjoyed the |
| Not to mention, the different type of warm and | | | | occasional domestic beer here and there as a social |
| fuzzy feeling that wine gave you was a draw away | | | | convention. Once I tasted the various touches of |
| from your typical mixed cocktails and beer. After all, | | | | flavor that designer beers had to offer, like the |
| wine was more of a "socially acceptable" form of | | | | subtle hint of honey, cloves, or cinnamon, my taste |
| drinking. Drinking wine didn't seem so much like you | | | | buds were forever altered in favor of more |
| were drinking an alcohol, but more like you were | | | | expensive, tasty and heavy beers. |
| showing what good taste you had and how good | | | | Microbreweries are capitalizing on this phenomenon, |
| you looked drinking from the slender, elegant glasses | | | | as the expanding beer aisles at your local market will |
| they were poured in. | | | | attest. And we consumers are more than happy to |
| When you drank this beverage, you were much less | | | | oblige this latest expansion in the market. Whether |
| likely to be called a lush, but more likely to be looked | | | | you are a frequent social drinker, the occasional |
| at as a sort of connoisseur or the finer nuances and | | | | recreational drinker, or you enjoy experimenting |
| tinges of flavor the different varietal grapes offered, | | | | when you do participate in the imbibing of spirits, I |
| a recreational drinker who enjoyed drinking wine as a | | | | can assure you that good beer is an acquired taste, |
| sort of upscale pastime. You could pair it with dinners, | | | | and once you've taste one that exploded on the |
| and not only that, it became quite the event to pick | | | | pallet, you will never want to go back. |
| out just the right flavor that would perfectly | | | | |
